Working with the girl — pregnant at age 15, in foster care, and all but given up on school — Lynne Farrar saw how she'd been neglected.

"Everyone threw her away," she said.

But in one year's time, that girl has re-enrolled in school, could graduate ahead of schedule, and has plans to go to college.

It's the kind of turnaround that Farrar says motivates the volunteers of Tennessee CASA — which stands for Court-Appointed Special Advocates, a statewide network that connects trained adults to vulnerable children who are in state custody or the juvenile court system.

A: CASA works side-by-side with (the Department of Children's Services). I often say we provide extra eyes and ears to the court. We can be extra arms and legs to DCS. They have a huge job that's very, very difficult. Anything we can do to bring them information and to serve the family, we're happy to do.

Q: What's the hardest part of helping Tennessee kids?

A: The things that are really difficult for us is when little babies are brutally beaten and injured, with skull fractures and broken bones, and little babies can't talk to tell who hurt them.

When you see a tiny baby brutally beaten and you can't prove what happened, that's really scary.

Q: What will it take for CASA to help all abused children?

A: It's being able to support the current programs, and getting funding that is stable for them, that will allow them to recruit more volunteers. And then it is also a segment of starting programs in new counties. … It is a volunteer organization, so we can get a huge bang for the buck, but you have to have staff to recruit volunteers, train volunteers and supervise volunteers.

Q: What's next for CASA?

A: The number of programs in Tennessee has doubled. We have had steady growth every year for the past few years, and we want to continue to grow that.

Reach Tony Gonzalez at 615-259-8089 or on Twitter @tgonzalez.

Get involved

Most Middle Tennessee counties have CASA programs, but not Cheatham, Dickson and Montgomery counties. Last year, 1,245 CASA volunteers served 5,200 abused and neglected children.

Volunteers undergo background checks and at least 30 hours of training. To learn more or to inquire about forming a local CASA chapter, visit www.tncasa.org.